The Gospel According to St. Matthew
⭑ Catholic Public Domain Version 2009 ⭑
- Chapter 3 -
(Isaiah 40:1–5; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–20; John 1:19–28)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
The Baptism of Jesus
(Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:29–34)
13
14
15
16
17
Footnotes
(a)3:2 The verb ‘appropinquavit’ is in the past tense, ‘has drawn near’ rather than ‘is near.’(Conte)
(b)3:2
Do penance: Paenitentiam agite. Which word, according to the use of the scriptures and the holy fathers, does not only signify repentance and amendment of life, but also punishing past sins by fasting, and such like penitential exercises.(Challoner)
(c)3:4 The waistline in those days was above the navel, around the kidneys and lower back (lumbos), not at the hips as is so common today.(Conte)
(d)3:6 Since this was not the Sacrament of Confession, the translation prefers ‘acknowledging’ to ‘confessing.’(Conte)
(e)3:7
Pharisees and Sadducees: These were two sects among the Jews: of which the former were for the most part notorious hypocrites; the latter, a kind of freethinkers in matters of religion.(Challoner)
(f)3:11 The word ‘me’ is used instead of the grammatically correct ‘than I’ because it sounds more natural in English and because it makes a better parallel with the phrase ‘after me’. Even though the verse literally says ‘and fire,’ the word ‘et’ is sometimes used in Latin in a way that it is not used in English, to combine two qualities of the same thing. So the Baptism of Christ is not Holy Spirit and also fire, but rather the figurative fire of the Holy Spirit.(Conte)
(g)3:12 The words ‘should’ and ‘shall’ are not ordinarily used about God. He does not do things because they are right, nor because he should do them, but rather the things He does are right because He does them.(Conte)